HAVING held a Labour majority since the last elections in 1999 Dartford Borough Council was declared a hung parliament with "no over all control" early on Friday morning following an overwhelming victory for Dartford's Conservatives.

Despite talk of a low turnout and voter apathy 31% of the electorate in

Dartford tuned out to vote in the local elections.

With 23 wards knocked down to 17 and a whopping 115 candidates competing for

a reduced number of seats it was always going to prove an interesting night.

Labour's most shocking defeat came in Brent ward where the party lost all three seats to the Conservatives.

The complete swing, which saw current Labour mayor Cllr Margaret Eaton also lose her seat seemed to surprise everyone when the results were announced.

Mrs Eaton who's term as Mayor finishes at the end of May said: "Of course I

am very very disappointed."

But Mrs Eaton was not going to be the only surprise of the night.

Former Dartford Mayor Tom Maddison, long standing Councillor Samson Carey

and cabinet member Rosemary Bryant were three other prominent Labour councillors to lost their seats to Conservatives.

The final count gave the Conservatives 18 seats, Labour 17, a surprising 5

for independent group Swanscombe and Greenhithe Residents Association and 1

seat to Michael Tibby from the New England Party.

Clearly delighted with the result Conservative shadow leader and now elected

councillor for Heath ward Kenneth Leadbeater said: "With a situation where

there is no over all control it does mean we have a lot of talking to do but

it has been a tremendous night for the Conservatives."

Early indications from the Conservative Party's Central Office show Dartford's Conservatives to be in the top six for overwhelming swings across Britain.

And referring to the recent death of Conservative Councillor Robert Dunn, Mr

Leadbeater said: "We have done it for Bob."